Franklin Fire Department approves paramedic captain and grant-funded community paramedic officer roles

The Personnel Committee approved a new paramedic captain position, its wage placement and promotional process, and a grant-funded community paramedic officer assignment for the Franklin Fire Department. The committee also approved a related letter of understanding with the firefighters' union that clarifies sick-leave conversion and the job title.

Jim Mayer, Fire Chief, told the committee the city "has been working on a promotional process" and included funding for the paramedic captain in the 2025 budget. He described the role as a middle-management position that would “fill that middle level position” between lieutenants (who supervise a company of three to four personnel) and the battalion chief (who oversees an entire shift). Mayer said the promotional process currently includes three lieutenants.

Mayer explained the wage letter of understanding negotiated with the union provides a 5% lift over the current paramedic lieutenant rate to place the captain pay between lieutenant and battalion chief, and he said comparable communities use a similar arrangement. He also noted the position remains within the bargaining unit and explained that state statute generally places the highest-ranking supervisor out of the bargaining unit; because the captain would act in that role only on an as-needed basis, the position stays in the union.

Shannon Antoine, Assistant Chief and the lead on emergency medical services, described the community paramedic officer position as fully grant-funded through the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management. "The community paramedic position ... would be funded through grants, through the Milwaukee County OEM," she said. The role is a 40-hour-per-week Monday–Friday assignment that will meet patients in their homes, focusing on high utilizers with chronic illnesses; staff said the grant funding appears secured for at least five years.

Antoine said the community-paramedic assignment is initially a two-year commitment that temporarily moves a firefighter paramedic from the 24-hour schedule to the 40-hour assignment; if a lieutenant fills it, the lieutenant would advance to the captain wage while assigned. The union-letter-of-understanding sets conversion procedures for sick leave and other benefits so employees do not lose accrued time when moving between schedules. Committee members asked about backfilling and were told the department would rely on attrition to restore line positions when assignments end.

The committee heard that three lieutenants have applied for the paramedic captain promotion; the job description and accompanying wage letter were approved on a committee voice vote. The committee also approved the letter of understanding with the Franklin Professional Firefighters Union, Local 2760, with a clarified article on sick-leave conversion and a title change to "Community Paramedic Officer" where referenced.

Speakers on the record included Jim Mayer (Fire Chief), Shannon Antoine (Assistant Chief), Lieutenant Brad Pulaski (Firefighters Local representative), and Dana (municipal staff). The committee voted to approve the job description, wage letter of understanding, and the community-paramedic letter of understanding with the noted conversion and title changes.